When working with a longarm quilter, they most often request that you square up your quilt backing before sending them your quilting project (or charge an additional fee to do it for you). It may sound like an additional step you can skip, but it's actually an important step in the longarm quilting process and will help ensure your quilt looks its best. It can sound intimidating, but I promise you can do it yourself!
So what does squaring up your quilt backing mean?
Squaring up your quilt backing means that all four sides of your backing are straight, and the four corners of the backing are 90 degrees (or right angles).
This ensures that the quilt backing is loaded perfectly straight onto the longarming frame and your batting and quilt top lay straight on top. This is especially important when using directional backing fabric. If the fabric isn't straight, the directional print will not be straight on the back of the finished quilt.
When I load your quilt onto my longarm frame, I use the straight edge of your backing to align with the straight line of dots on my leaders, as shown in the picture below. This helps to ensure everything is loaded onto the frame evenly and the quilting turns out straight and even. It also helps achieve the best result possible if there is any bulk or extra fabric in the quilt top that needs to be addressed.
How do I square up my quilt backing?
To get started, you'll need your quilt backing, a cutting mat, a quilting ruler, and your rotary cutter.
Begin by folding your backing in half, making sure the folded edge is as straight as possible (it doesn't need to be perfect because we will be cutting a clean, straight edge on this side later on).
Line up the straight line you just created with a straight line on your cutting mat.
Place your quilting ruler on top of the fabric, lining up the lines on the ruler with the straight line on the cutting mat.
Cut the raw edge of the fabric to create a straight, clean line.
Repeat the steps above on the other side. At this point, two of your backing sides have clean, straight lines. Now, we need to straighten the remaining two sides.
Unfold your backing fabric. Fold the backing fabric in half again but the opposite direction of before. If you folded the width for the steps above, now you'll fold the length of the backing in half, or vice versa.
Align the straight edges of the fabric you cut previously with the straight line on your quilting mat (similar to the first step above). Place your ruler on top of the backing fabric. The edges you cut previously should align with the straight lines on the ruler. This is what ensures your corners are perfectly square.
Cut off the raw edge (in this case, the selvedge) creating a clean, straight line. Repeat the same thing on the other side.
Congratulations! Your quilt backing is now square and ready for longarm quilting. Head over to my Book A Quilt page to get started!
Here are some additional tips:
Press your backing fabric before squaring up. A crease in the middle will mean it doesn't end up square when loading onto the longarm.
For large quilt backings, it's easier to do the steps above on the floor. Just move your cutting mat as you cut the long edges. If you have wood or tile floors, you can use the straight lines in your flooring as a guide.
If your backing fabric still has the selvedges on, use them as a guide when folding the first straight line. They tend to be straighter than the raw edge cut from the bolt.
My favorite notions:
Have any questions? Let me know in the comments below.
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